Norwegian defender Torbjorn Heggem set for West Brom medical ahead of first summer signing
Albion are poised to make IF Brommapojkarna defender Torbjorn Heggem their first signing of the summer.
The 25-year-old Norwegian is set to swap the Swedish top flight Allsvenskan for the second tier in English football in a permanent switch as Carlos Corberan's first signing of the summer as he undergoes a medical today (Tuesday).
Heggem, who stands at 6ft 3ins, is a left-footed defender capable of playing both as a left-back and also in the heart of defence.
His versatility brings useful competition to Albion's current squad, as it stands, as competition for Conor Townsend as the only recognised senior left-back and another central options to compete with Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley if, as expected, the experienced defender agrees to the contract offer on the table. Fellow defender Cedric Kipre is set for an exit.
Albion's squad are due in to start pre-season testing on Thursday ahead of training itself getting under way on Monday.
Heggem is currently playing in his second season at Brommapojkarna – which fittingly means the Bromma Boys, from Bromma in Stockholm – and has caught the eye of Albion's recruitment staff. His contract at the club runs until this December.
He made the switch to Sweden for the beginning of the 2023 campaign and played 30 games in all competitions as a regular as his side finished third-bottom but were then victorious in a relegation play-off by a thumping aggregate of 7-0 over Utsikten BK.
BP, as the side are known, have started the current campaign – seasons run from spring to November – in better fashion. The side managed by former Villa defensive favourite Olof Mellberg are currently 11th after 12 games and Albion-bound Heggem has once again been a regular.
He scored in their most recent fixture, a 2-2 draw against big-hitters Malmo FF, on June 1 before the current break. That was his second goal for the Swedish outfit.
The defender began his career at local junior club Astor, based in his home city of Trondheim before a move to Norwegian giants Rosenborg as a 15-year-old. His one senior appearance for Rosenborg was as a substitute in the Mesterfinalen, between league and cup winners, against Lillestrom as a teenager in 2018.
Heggem spent a season on loan in his homeland's second tier with Ranheim before a permanent switch to fellow Norwegian outfit Sandnes Ulf in 2021, where he spent two years and played more than 60 games.
